PRINCESS Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, chose Wrexham as the only venue in the UK this year where he would talk about his new book.

Speaking at Wrexham Library's Literary Evening on Monday, he said he had to write his book, A Royal Duty, because of all the lies and rubbish that had been told about him, his family and the Princess.

In between visits to countries all over the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan, the man described as Princess Diana's 'rock' waived his fee so all the proceeds from the evening could go to Nightingale House, the hospice of which he is a patron.

Mr Burrell, who owns a flower shop in Holt, spoke about his early years of royal service when he worked for the Queen and of his first meeting with Diana, Princess of Wales, at Balmoral.

He then went on to describe his unique relationship with her and how she trusted him with her most intimate secrets.

He said: 'The Princess taught me a great deal about life and about people. She brought magic to people's lives and she was a truly great person. She was different and unconventional.

'Everyone remembers where they were when she died, and that is a mark of a great person.'

Pledging to remain loyal to the Princess and affirming there were things about her that he would never reveal, he said: 'When you read the book I hope you will smile and I hope you will cry. I will let you peep inside the windows, but I will not let you inside the room.'

He described his overnight vigil with the Princess after her death and his 'rollercoaster' life since, including a court case facing accusations of stealing from his former employer until the dramatic last-minute intervention of the Queen.

Mr Burrell paid tribute to the four women in his life - his mother, who destroyed a letter offering him a job with the Cunard Line because she wanted him to accept the position in the royal household, the Queen, for whom he says he has the greatest respect, Princess Diana and his wife Maria, who has stood by him throughout his troubled times.

At the end of his talk Mr Burrell answered questions from the audience and claimed that, when talking to Princess Diana on the phone the day before she died, she spoke of her relationship with Dodi Fayed and said: 'Paul, I need marriage like I need a bad rash.'

He felt she continued to love Prince Charles right up until her death and he said of her husband: 'I think he loved her in his own way.'

When asked about meeting up with Princes William and Harry, he said he hadn't done so yet but he intended to do so. 'I tried to contact them but my letters were returned. I love those boys like my own and I would never do anything to hurt them. There are lots of things I would like to tell them about their mother now they are older.'

Mr Burrell says he does not know what he will do in the future, but intends to continue living near Wrexham for a long time as he loves the town.

He said: 'I have no intentions of writing another book at this moment in time, but if I'm called on to defend the Princess's memory, then I will be there for her. I won't let people rewrite history - it's my duty to protect her - hence the title of this book. I haven't shared any of her intimate secrets and I never will. They will go with me to the grave.'